Didier Drogba

Tébily Didier Yves Drogba born 11 March 1978, known as Didier Drogba, is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays for English club Chelsea as a striker, and is the all-time top scorer and former captain of theIvory Coast national team. He is best known for his career at Chelsea, for whom he has scored more goals than any other foreign player and is currently the club's fourth highest goal scorer of all time. In October 2012, he was voted by Chelsea supporters as the club's greatest ever player. He has also been named African Footballer of the Year twice, winning the accolade in 2006 and 2009.

After playing in youth teams, Drogba made his professional debut aged 18 for Ligue 2 club Le Mans, and signed his first professional contract aged 21. After finishing the 2002–03 season with 17 goals in 34 appearances for Ligue 1 side Guingamp, he moved to Olympique de Marseille, where he finished as the third highest scorer in the 2003–04 season with 19 goals and helped the club reach the 2004 UEFA Cup Final.

In the summer of 2004, Drogba moved to Chelsea for a club record £24 million fee, making him the most expensive Ivorian player in history. In his debut season he helped the club win their first league title in 50 years, and a year later he won anotherPremier League title. In March 2012, he became the first African player to score 100 Premier League goals, and also became the only player in history to score in four separate FA Cup finals the same year, when he scored in Chelsea's win over Liverpool in the 2012 final. He also played in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final, in which he scored an 88th-minute equaliser and the winning penalty in the deciding shoot-out against Bayern Munich. After spending 6 months with Shanghai Shenhua in China and one and a half seasons with Turkish giants Galatasaray, Drogba returned to Chelsea in July 2014.

An Ivory Coast international between 2002 and 2014, Drogba captained the national team from 2006 until his retirement and is the nation's all-time top goalscorer with 65 goals from 104 appearances. He led the Ivory Coast to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, their first appearance in the tournament, and also scored their first goal. He later captained the Ivory Coast at the 2010 and2014 FIFA World Cups. He was part of the Ivory Coast teams that reached the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006 and 2012, but were beaten on penalties on both occasions. On 8 August 2014, he announced his retirement from international football.

club career

chelsea

2011–12
While playing against Norwich City on 27 August 2011, Drogba suffered a concussion in a collision with Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy. After missing two games, Drogba made his return to the Chelsea squad on 24 September against Swansea City. Drogba went on scoring his first goal of the season in a 4–1 win. Drogba received a red card on 23 October against Queens Park Rangers, Chelsea ended up losing 1–0. On 29 November, Drogba rejected a new deal with Chelsea and is set to sign for the highest bidder. On 31 December 2011, Drogba scored his 150th goal for Chelsea against Aston Villa, putting him level with Peter Osgood and Roy Bentley in terms of the club's top scorers of all time. Even though, Chelsea was leading with the penalty scored by Drobga, the game ended in a 3–1 loss for Chelsea.

Drogba scored his 99th Premier League goal for Chelsea on 25 February 2012, in a 3–0 win over Bolton Wanderers. It was also his 151st goal for Chelsea, moving him up to 4th among the club's all-time goalscorers, ahead of Roy Bentley and Peter Osgood. Drogba scored his100th Premier League goal for Chelsea on 10 March 2012, in a 1–0 win over Stoke City. He is the first African player to reach that landmark.

Drogba scored his seventh goal at Wembley against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on 15 April, hammering the ball past former teammateCarlo Cudicini as Chelsea ran out 5–1 winners and secured a place in the FA Cup Final against Liverpool. Three days later, he scored a vital goal as Chelsea beat Barcelona 1–0 at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Semi-final clash. Drogba became the first player to score in four different FA Cup Finals, as he netted the winner in Chelsea's 2–1 triumph over Liverpool on 5 May.

In the Champions League final on 19 May 2012, Drogba scored the equaliser from Juan Mata's corner in the 88th minute, taking Chelsea into extra time and then penalties. He also scored the winning penalty in the 4–3 penalty-shootout that led Chelsea to the victory over Bayern Munich. Sir Alex Ferguson remarked: "As far as I was concerned, he (Drogba) won the Champions League for Chelsea." Drogba's headed effort marked his ninth goal in nine cup final appearances for Chelsea, Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola spoke after the match about Drogba's ability in big games: "In all their very important matches he has put a stamp on it." In November 2012 Drogba was named Chelsea's greatest ever player in a poll of 20,000 fans conducted by Chelsea Magazine.

Shanghai Shenhua


On 22 May 2012, Chelsea released a note on their official website announcing that Drogba "will be leaving the club when his contract expires at the end of June" 2012. On 19 June 2012, Drogba declared he would be joining Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua, linking up with his former Chelsea teammate Nicolas Anelka. It was reported that he signed a two-and-a-half-year deal where he will earn £200,000 a week. On 22 July, Drogba made his debut for Shanghai Shenhua in a 1–1 away draw against Guangzhou R&F, coming on as a substitute for Brazilian defender Moisés in the second half. He assisted Cao Yunding's equaliser in the 67th minute. On 4 August, he scored his first two goals in a 5–1 win against Hangzhou Greentown. He scored two more goals on 25 August, both set up by Anelka, as Shenhua drew 3–3 with Shandong Luneng.

Galatasaray

On 28 January 2013, Drogba agreed to a one-and-a-half-year deal with Süper Lig teamGalatasaray. He would earn a sign-on fee of €4 million plus basic wage of €4 million per season (thus €2 million in 2012–13 Süper Lig) and €15,000 per match. However, on 30 January 2013, Shenhua released a press release that Drogba would unilaterally breach his contract if he were to join Galatasaray.

Drogba argued that he had not been paid his wages by the club and asked FIFA, the sport's governing body, to invalidate his contract. In February 2013, FIFA granted a temporary license for him to play for Galatasaray pending the outcome of the contract dispute.

On 15 February, Drogba scored his debut goal for Galatasaray just five minutes after coming off the bench against Akhisar Belediyesporin a match that ended 2–1. On 6 April, Drogba scored twice in a match against Mersin İdmanyurdu that ended 3–1. On 9 April, Drogba scored his first goal for Galatasaray in the Champions League, against Real Madrid. On 20 April, Drogba scored twice in a match against Elazigspor that ended 3–1.

He won his first title with Galatasaray on 5 May, with a 4–2 win over Sivasspor. In Gala's derby match against rivals Fenerbahçe on 12 May, Drogba and his Ivorian team-mate Emmanuel Eboue were subjects of racist chants from Fenerbahçe fans in Gala's 2–1 loss, but no fine or bans were handed down to any supporters of Fenerbahçe or the club. On 11 August 2013, he scored the only goal in the 2013 Turkish Super Cup against Fenerbahce. He scored two second half goals in a 2–1 away win against rivals Beşiktaş on 22 September.

Return to Chelsea
On 25 July 2014, Chelsea announced on their official website that Drogba completed his return to the club on a free transfer, and signed a one-year contract. Speaking on his move back to the club, Drogba said: "It was an easy decision. I couldn't turn down the opportunity to work with José [Mourinho] again. Everyone knows the special relationship I have with this club and it has always felt like home to me." Mourinho also commented on the transfer, saying: "He's coming because he's one of the best strikers in Europe. I know his personality very well and I know if he comes back he's not protected by history or what he's done for this club previously. He is coming with the mentality to make more history." On 28 July 2014, Chelsea announced that Drogba would wear the number 15 shirt which he wore when he first signed for the club in 2004. Mohamed Salah, who wore the number during the 2013–14 season, took over the number 17 shirt vacated by Eden Hazard. On 15 August, however, it was announced that Drogba had been given back the number 11 shirt he previously wore at the club, with its previous occupant Oscar taking over the number 8 jersey vacated by Frank Lampard.

Drogba made his Premier League return for Chelsea in a 3–1 win away to Burnley, replacing winger Eden Hazard in the 84th minute atTurf Moor on 18 August 2014. On 17 September he made the first start of his second spell, in a 1–1 home draw against Schalke 04 in Chelsea's first game of the Champions League group stage. He scored his first goal in his second spell at Stamford Bridge on 21 October, converting a penalty-kick in a 6–0 win over Maribor in the Champions League. Five days later, with Chelsea's attack limited by injuries to Diego Costa and Loïc Rémy, Drogba started against Manchester United at Old Trafford, making his 350th appearance for the club. Early in the second-half, he headed in the first Premier League goal of his second spell although Robin van Persie equalised in added time. He scored his 50th goal in European football against Schalke 04.

International career

In the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, the Ivory Coast were drawn in a group with Sudan, Angola and Burkina Faso. Drogba scored the first goal for his team in the tournament against Sudan and his only goal in the group stage. In the quarter-finals, Drogba scored twice in the 3–0 win over Equatorial Guinea. He did not score in the semi-final in which the Ivory Coast beat Mali 1–0. In the final against Zambia, Drogba missed a penalty kick in the last 15 minutes of the game, which ended by their loss for the second time by penalty shootout.

In June 2014, Drogba was named in the Ivory Coast's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He won his 100th international cap in a pre-tournament friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina, scoring a penalty kick in his side's 2–1 loss on 2 June. In the Ivory Coast's opening match, he appeared as a second half substitute with the team trailing 1–0 to Japan. Within five minutes of Drogba's arrival, Les Éléphants scored twice to win the match 2–1.

On 8 August 2014, Drogba announced his retirement from international football with a record of 65 goals in 104 appearances.

Style of play

Given his relatively late breakthrough into professional football, Drogba has often been described as a late bloomer, having signed his first professional contract with Le Mans at the age of 21. He is noted for his physical strength, ability in the air, and his ability to retain possession of the ball. Raichard Beech of the Daily Mirror says that his "powerful and intrusive approach made him the lone striker(José) Mourinho grew to admire, and made it nearly impossible for opposing teams to isolate him and freeze him out of the game."

Aside from his goalscoring ability, Drogba is also capable of providing assists to his team-mates. Between the 2009–10 and 2011–12 seasons, he managed 24 assists in the Premier League, with an average pass success rate of 61.4 percent, owing to his vision and creativity on the ball. He provided 71 assists to team-mates over the course of his entire career at Chelsea until May 2012, showing that he is also a team player.

In set pieces, Drogba has also been known for his free kick ability, known to strike the ball with power and pace. Dr Ken Bray of University of Bath has described him as a specialist especially from central positions, and says that he "really just passes the ball very hard". He adds, "He hits it [the ball] very straight and appears to hit the ball with a very powerful side-foot action, almost like the technique used in a side-foot pass. Drogba's style is about beating the goalkeeper with speed and depth."

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/